Elaine Kapusta is more than a CFO for a women's fashion retailer with more than 400 stores across the country. She's an instrumental component of Dots LLC's journey to becoming a national brand.

Ms. Kapusta joined Dots in 1994 as controller, and her determination to take the company to the next level helped her to climb the corporate ladder, ultimately becoming vice president and chief financial officer for the company in August 2007.

In fact, Ms. Kapusta was the chief architect of Dots' sale to the New York private equity firm of Irving Place Capital last January, which is expected to allow the retailer to open 600 more stores nationwide and lead to a potential public offering of its stock.

She has been a leader throughout the Dots organization and has taken on a number of responsibilities, such as benefits planning, workers compensation, liability issues and the company's budgeting and planning process. She also was instrumental in Dots' opening a new distribution center and corporate headquarters in 2009.

“She goes above and beyond her role in our company and leads her team to attain the highest caliber of results,” the nomination said.

Simply put, Ms. Kapusta is a broad-based business leader, according to the nomination, and she brings value to all aspects of the business.

“Elaine's direct reports aspire to achieve the leadership qualities demonstrated by her each day. They are impressed by her ability to think on her feet and quickly analyze difficult situations, asking the right questions to drive results,” the nomination said. “She pushes them to the next level of their abilities by communicating high expectations while supporting their efforts and removing the barriers to success.”

Prior to her work at Dots, Ms. Kapusta was at Ernst & Young, where she worked to improve profitability through solid budgeting, staffing and progress monitoring. She rose to the rank of senior manager in her 11-year career at Ernst & Young.

Ms. Kapusta, a graduate of John Carroll University, is married with three children and is actively involved in their extracurricular activities, such as show choir, cheerleading and the drama club. Somehow, she manages to squeeze in time to volunteer at the Cleveland Food Bank.

“Her inherent devotion and passion for success allows her to lead by example,” the nomination said.

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